Bird Guide

Bicolored Antpitta vs Undulated Antpitta

Bicolored Antpitta (Grallaria rufocinerea)

Bicolored Antpitta

Grallaria rufocinerea

Small45 gForest

Grallaria antpittas are a "wonderful group of plump and round antbirds whose feathers are often fluffed up...they have stout bills very short tails". The bicolored antpitta is 15 to 18 cm (5.9 to 7.1 in) long; one individual weighed 44.8 g (1.6 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a mostly rufous-brown or ferruginous red head, throat, upperparts, wings, and tail, though the throat is slightly more rufous than the rest and has some grayish mottling. Their underparts are mostly gray to sooty gray with a whitish central belly and whitish edges on the breast, side, and flank feathers. Voice: The male bicolored antpitta sings "a high, clear, whistled treeeee or treeeeeuh". Females apparently answer with "a kree-kree-kree-kree-kree-kree".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Bicolored Antpitta
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Sucumbíos: 3 km E Santa Bárbara, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: (c) Christoph Moning, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Christoph Moning · cc-by
Undulated Antpitta (Grallaria squamigera)

Undulated Antpitta

Grallaria squamigera

Medium136 gForest

Grallaria antpittas are a "wonderful group of plump and round antbirds whose feathers are often fluffed up...they have stout bills, very short tails, and very long bluish gray legs". The undulated antpitta is the largest member of its genus that occurs in the higher Andes; it is 20 to 24 cm (7.9 to 9.4 in) long and weighs 112 to 174 g (4.0 to 6.1 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a gray crown and nape and mostly ashy brown upperparts with a variable olivaceous wash. Most upperparts feathers have darker edges that give a scaly appearance. Voice: The undulated antpitta typically sings from dawn into the early morning and from a low perch. It sings at any time of the year but more frequently during the breeding season. Its song has been compared to the voice of some small owls, "a fast hollow quavering trill that slightly ascends in pitch and lasts 3-4 seconds, e.g. 'hohohohohohohohohohohoho', with last few notes more enunciated".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Undulated Antpitta
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Loja: páramo of Cordillera Las Lagunillas, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Voyage autour du monde sur la frégate la Vénus · Public domain

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Bicolored Antpitta and Undulated Antpitta.